Many school board members in Michigan have come to believe our government-run education system is too resistant to much-needed reforms. They have formed the Michigan School Board Leaders Association to explore and promote innovative ways to improve education for all students, including greater school choice for parents.

According to Tom Bowles, a trustee with Van Buren Public Schools in Wayne County, and now president of the Association, "sweeping reforms are the only way to save or improve education for our children." Bowles says he and other administrators repeatedly meet opposition when they try to bring about greater parental involvement in the education of children.

Bowles says the public school system has become a vast employment and money distribution machine. This is why he joined the Michigan School Board Leaders Association. Unlike its establishment counterpart, the Michigan Association of School Boards, this organization has its sights not on preserving power but in making a positive difference through school choice and other innovative solutions.

For information about the Michigan School Board Leaders Association, call Lori Yaklin at 810-658-7667.